EXECUTIVE ORDER MJF 01-03

Additional Consensus Estimating Conferences

WHEREAS, R.S. 39:21.1 through 27 provides for
consensus estimating conferences on economics,
demographics, education, criminal justice, health and social
services, transportation, and revenue for the purpose of
developing official information on those issues for the state
planning and budgeting system;

WHEREAS, existing consensus estimating
conferences do not address all of the issues for which the
state of Louisiana requires official consensus information for
the state planning and budget system; and

WHEREAS, the best interests of the citizens of the
state of Louisiana are served by the creation of three
additional consensus estimating conferences to address the
issues of higher education, human resources, and other
matters which are not in the area of responsibility of a
consensus estimating conference;

NOW THEREFORE, I, M.J. "MIKE" FOSTER, JR.,
Governor of the state of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority
vested by the Constitution and the laws of the state of
Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as follows:

SECTION 1:

A. The Higher Education Estimating
Conference is established within the executive department,
Division of Administration.

B. The Higher Education Estimating Conference shall
develop such official information related to the state of
Louisiana's higher education system as the members of the
conference determine is needed for purposes of the state
planning and budgeting system, including official
information on student enrollment, faculty pay and benefits,
and/or comparisons of the state of Louisiana to other states.

C. The Higher Education Estimating Conference shall
consist of the following six voting members:

1. The governor, or the governor's designee;

2. The commissioner of administration, or the
commissioner's designee;

3. The president of the Louisiana Senate, or the
president's designee selected from either the membership or
staff of the Louisiana Senate;

4. The speaker of the Louisiana House of
Representatives, or the speaker's designee selected from
either the membership or staff of the Louisiana House of
Representatives;

5. The legislative fiscal officer, or the officer's
designee; and

6. The commissioner of higher education, or the
commissioner's designee.

SECTION 2:

A. The Human Resources
Estimating Conference is established within the executive
department, Division of Administration.

B. The Human Resources Estimating Conference shall
develop such official information related to the human
resources of the state of Louisiana as the members of the
conference determine is needed for purposes of the state
planning and budgeting system, including official
information on employment, employee pay and benefits,
and/or comparisons of the state of Louisiana to other states
or to the private sector of the state of Louisiana and/or other
states.

C. The Human Resources Estimating Conference shall
consist of the following six voting members:

1. The governor, or the governor's designee;

2. The commissioner of administration, or the
commissioner's designee;

3. The president of the Louisiana Senate, or the
president's designee selected from either the membership or
staff of the Louisiana Senate;

4. The speaker of the Louisiana House of
Representatives, or the speaker's designee selected from
either the membership or staff of the Louisiana House of
Representatives;

5. The legislative fiscal officer, or the officer's
designee; and

6. The director of the Department of Civil Service, or
the director's designee.

SECTION 3:

A. The State and National Data
Estimating Conference is established within the executive
department, Division of Administration.

B. The State and National Data Estimating Conference
shall develop such official information on any issue not
within the area of responsibility of any other consensus
estimating conference created by 39:21.1-27 or the
provisions of this Order, as the majority of voting members
of the conference determine is needed for the purposes of the
state planning and budgeting system.

C. The State and National Data Estimating Conference
shall consist of the following five voting members:

1. The governor, or the governor's designee;

2. The commissioner of administration, or the
commissioner's designee;

3. The president of the Louisiana Senate, or the
president's designee selected from either the membership or
staff of the Louisiana Senate;

4. The speaker of the Louisiana House of
Representatives, or the speaker's designee selected from
either the membership or staff of the Louisiana House of
Representatives; and

5. The legislative fiscal officer, or the officer's
designee.

D. The State and National Data Estimating Conference
shall also consist of the following non-voting member:

1. The executive director of Public Affairs Research,
Inc., or the executive director's designee.

SECTION 4:

A. As used in this Order, "official
information" means the data, forecasts, estimates, analyses,
studies, and/or other information adopted by a conference.

B. The official information of a conference shall be
adopted only by a favorable record vote of two-thirds (2/3)
of the appointed voting members of the conference.

C. Each conference shall publish the official information
adopted by the conference in the Louisiana Register.

D. Official information adopted by a conference shall
constitute the official information of a conference until
rescinded, replaced, and/or superceded at a subsequent
meeting of the conference by a favorable record vote of two-
thirds (2/3) of the appointed voting members of the
conference.

E. The official forecasts of a conference shall be based
upon the assumption that the current laws and administrative
procedures of the state of Louisiana and/or the departments,
commissions, boards, offices, agencies, and/or political
subdivisions thereof, shall remain in effect throughout the
forecast period.

F. Two-thirds (2/3) of the appointed voting members of
a conference means four voting members of a conference
consisting of five voting members and/or four voting
members of a conference consisting of six voting members.

A. The governor shall appoint the
chair of each conference from its voting members.

B. Each conference shall meet at the call of its chair
and/or by written notice of three or more voting members
who dispute or question the continued validity of an item of
official information previously adopted by the conference.

C. Support staff for the conferences and facilities for
conference meetings shall be arranged by the Office of the
Governor and/or the Division of Administration.

D. Conference members shall not receive additional
compensation or a per diem from the Office of the Governor
and/or the Division of Administration for serving on a
conference. However, state officers and/or employees may
seek reimbursement of travel expenses, in accordance with
PPM 49, from their employing and/or elected department,
agency, and/or office.

SECTION 7:

A. All departments, commissions,
boards, offices, agencies, and political subdivisions of the
state of Louisiana, and the officers thereof, shall use the
official information developed by the conference.

B. All departments, commissions, boards, offices,
agencies, and political subdivisions of the state of Louisiana,
and the officers thereof, are authorized and directed to
cooperate in implementing the provisions of this Order.

SECTION 8: This Order is effective upon signature
and shall continue in effect until amended, modified,
terminated, or rescinded by the governor, or terminated by
operation of law.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand
officially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of
Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the city of Baton Rouge, on this
24th day of January, 2001.